Steam steering-gear



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1'.

I F. F- SCHOFIBLD.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.`

(No Model.)

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STEAM STEERING GEAR.

Patented' Feb. 2, 1897. y

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FREDERICK F. SCHOFIELD, OF EVERETT, VASHINGTON.

STEAM STEERING==GEAR.

SPECIFICATION formingl part of Letters Patent No. 576,231, datedFebruary 2, 1897. Application iilcd March 5, 1896. 'Serial No. 581,958.(No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK F. SCHO- FIELD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Everett, in the county of Snohomish and State ofWashington, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsin SteamSteering-Gears; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention consists of a steam steeringgear for boats. The details ofits construction will be more fully set out in the specificationsfollowing, reference being had to the d rawin gs, forming a partthereof, in Which- Figure lis a central sectional View through the steamcylinder and valve, and Fig. 2 a similar View oi' a modified form ofconstruction in which the valve is outside the cylinder.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1 the valve is entirely inside thepiston. The cylinder A is secured by its base to the deck or otherportion of the boat. The rod G of the piston B extends through each endof the cyl inder, and upon each outer end has an eye C', to which areattached the cables or chains controlling the rudder.

The piston B has a very long bearing on the cylinder and is deeplycupped on each side. Upon one side of the cylinder and in the middle ofits length at l is a port to which is at tachedthesteam-pipe.Similarlyplacedupon the opposite side of the cylinder is theexhaust-port 6. In the outer surface of the piston and so placed as tobe at all points in its stroke in communication, respectively, With thecylinder admission and exhaust ports are the passages 2 and 5. Thesepassages must be in length at least equal to the length of thepiston-stroke. At opposite ends of these passages are the valve-ports 33 and 4i 4c, leading through the piston-Wall to the interior of thecylinder and acting, respectively, as admission and exhaust ports.

The inner surfaces of the recessed or cupped ends of the piston arefinished to form seats for the valves V V. These valves are eitherpiston-valves, having openings, as c, through their Webs, or are ofcross-head or I shape,

having steampassages at their sides. The object is that they shall notact as pistons to impede the passage of steam, but lshall permit a freecirculation of steam from one side to the other. The valves are fixed tosleeves or tubes D, Which surround the piston-rod and pass through thecylinder-head and are attached to arms Dl outside the cylinder. Stuiingboxes or glands (l2 and C3 n pon the outer ends of the sleeve and on thecylinder-heads prevent leakage of steam. The arms D" are each attachedat one end to the ends of the rack E, which slides in guides E upon theends of` the cylinder. A pinion F, which meshes With this rack, isattached to a fixed shaft, and the steering-Wheel F is either attachedto the same shaft or connected toit by cable or otherwise from adistance, so that the pinion Will move in unison With the handwheel.

If the hand-Wheel be turned, the pinion will be turned and the rack willslide in its guides. Through the arms D and the sleeves D this will movethe valves. The position shown in Fig. l is the position of rest. If thevalve be moved, for instance, to the right, the ports 3 and 4 will besimultaneously opened. rlhis will admit live steam through the port 3ato the left side of the piston and exhaust the steam from the right sideof the piston through the port e.

As long as the motion of the hand-Wheel keeps the valve moving thepiston Will closely follow. Then the motion of the valve stops, thesteam behind the piston will move it a little farther, or until it hasclosed the ad* mission-port on one side and the exhaust-port on theother. lf the steam should have sufcient power to carry the piston stillfarther, it will open the opposite exhaust and steam ports to those justin use, and a portion of the steam j ust acting will be exhausted and alittle steam be admitted to the opposite side. The same Will happen if aWave or any other force acting upon the rudder moves the piston alittle. It is impossible for the piston to move but a very shortdistance unless the valve is moved. If the piston is moved a littlebeyond the central point of the valves, it is quickly and automaticallyreturned to the central point. Y

If it is desired to lock the rudder in any position, the rack E may beclamped by the bolt and handuvheel E3, acting upon the gib IOO E2. Thevalve is perfectly balanced, and the only resistance to its motion isthe friction of the stufng-boxes and bearings for the Valve and rack.This may be made very small.

A slightly-different form of my device is shown in Fig. 2. In this thevalve is removed from the power-cylinder and is placed in a separate orvalve cylinder alongside. The principle of its action is, however, thesame. The power and the valve cylinders are connected at their ends byports 7. These act alternately as admission and exhaust ports, just asin an ordinary steam-cylinder.

The valve-cylinder I contains the valves, which consist of a long pistonin the form of a hollow cylinder V', which is connected to thepower-piston B by the rods Gr, arms D, and piston-rod C and moves inharmony therewith. Within this cylinder-valve V' is the piston-valve V2,connected by the rods G and arms D2 t0 the rack-bar E.

The cylinder-valve V and piston-valve V2 have ports corresponding` tothe ports of the device, as shown in Fig. 1. The steam admission is by acentral port l to a steam-passage 2 in the outer surface of thecylindervalve. From thence it passes by ports 3 and 3 an d openings v inthe ends of the cylindervalve V to the ends of the cylinder and thenceby the ports 7 to either end of the cylinder.

The cylinder-valve V, being connected to the piston B, is in realityapart of it, and its position is controlled thereby through the motion ofthe valve V2, precisely as described for the device shown in Fig. 1. Itis evident that my device may be operated as well by compressed air,water, or any other fluid as by steam.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination in a steam steeringgear of a power-cylinder, a pistontherein connected to and moving the rudder, a hollow cylinder connectedto and moving with the piston, the piston having longitudinal passagesconnected with the supply and exhaust pipes and ports communicatingtherefrom to opposite ends of the power-cylinder, with valves movable bythe steering-wheel and adapted to simultaneously uncover a steam and anexhaust port upon opposite sides of the piston, substantially as shownand described.

2. In a steam steering-gear the combination-of a power-cylinder, apiston therein connected to and moving the rudder, and havinglongitudinal supply and exhaust passages therein and ports connectingtherefrom to hollow orcup-shaped ends of the piston, with valves withinsaid cupped ends and upon opposite sides of the piston controlling saidports, sleeves surrounding the piston-rod attached to the valves upontheir inner ends and extending outside the cylinder, and positiveconnections from the steering-Wheel to said sleeves, substantially asshown and described.

In a steam steering-gear the combination of a power-cylinder, a pistonconnected to and operating the rudder and having supply and exhaustports therein connecting with opposite sides of the piston, with valvesmovable with the piston and controlling the said ports, sleevessurrounding the pistonrod and connected at their inner ends with saidvalves, a rack-bar movable longitudinally the cylinder in guides, apinion meshing therewith and controlled from the steering-wheel, andconnections from the rackbar to the outer ends of the valve-sleeves,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK F. SCI-IOFIELD.

Vitnesses:

GEO. W. CORNWALL, JNo. W. Cov-ET.

